Dreams By Moonlight
by kuonji
Summary: Yukito is spending the night at the Kinomotos' and finds himself chatting with an ostensibly irritable but caring Yue.


_Spoiler Warning: This takes place about a chapter away from the very end of the manga for Card Captor Sakura._

* * *

**Dreams By Moonlight**

by Kuonji

Yukito closed Sakura's bedroom door softly behind him, not wanting to disturb her hard work. She had quite a bit of a ways to go, by his admittedly inexpert judgement. But she would finish in time. He was sure of it. He paused for a moment in the hallway with his hand resting still on the doorknob, and he smiled softly there in the half-dark. His expression held happiness, relief, and a vast gentleness touched slightly with sorrow.

Sakura had finally found the person she liked most in the world. For that, Yukito was genuinely happy. He cared for Sakura very much, not just as the cute little sister of his best friend, but as the energetic and thoughtful girl who had virtually adopted him into the Kinomoto family. He wanted the best for her and he wanted her to be always happy.

At the same time, he knew full well that he had hurt her when he had turned down her love, though he had done it as gently as possible and as much if not more for her sake as his own. She had not cried then, keeping a stiff upper lip for Yukito's benefit, no doubt. She had even joked and smiled with him, up until just before Yue had taken over Yukito's consciousness to handle whatever danger had threatened then. It amazed Yukito how brave and insightful Sakura was, especially for her age, and he felt a certain relief that things had indeed turned out for the best with her, as he had hoped.

Except that it seemed the one she cared for was going someplace where they could not meet for a long while. Sakura had put up a brave front, of course, when she had told him, but she had looked so sad... It broke Yukito's heart to see the sweet, cheerful girl so down.

_They'll meet again_, he told himself firmly, _and their love will last_. And as he thought this, he realized that it wasn't simply a hope but an honest belief. Very few things could combat a truly determined soul, and in his opinion Sakura's was one of the brightest and strongest that he had ever encountered. Certainly, whomever she chose to love would be the same.

As he had told Sakura, he had thought about the possibility that he might one day begin to disappear again. He had told Sakura -- and this was undeniably the truth -- that he would fight his hardest to prevent such an occurrence, for the sake of staying with those he loved and cared for. Although he had to admit that his powers, magic or otherwise, were highly limited, he liked to think that if he fought hard enough and believed strongly enough, there would always be a way.

Yukito was intrinsically an open-minded and optimistic person, and the fact that his very existence now had depended (and still did depend) on the love of no fewer than three people -- probably more -- gave him a unique perspective on the powers of the heart.

Having washed Sakura's tray and dishes in the sink and put them away in their usual places, Yukito returned to To-ya's room where the two of them had been studying together.

"What took you so long?" To-ya asked when he came in, with no rancor in his voice, only mild curiosity.

"I had a short talk with Sakura. She was feeling down."

"Ah." To-ya's tone sounded disinterested, but Yukito knew better. The reticient young man cared much more for his little sister than he liked to let on. At the same time, Yukito felt that To-ya knew more about Sakura's situation than he was saying. He wondered about the irritated yet knowing glares that always overcame To-ya whenever the topic of Sakura came up lately. But Yukito didn't press.

"What happened to your pants?" he asked instead, noting the fresh dark stain across the left leg.

To-ya hmphed, irritated. "I sneezed and spilled coffee on it."

"You'd better wash it now, or the stain will set. That's one of your favorite pairs, isn't it?"

To-ya shrugged. "Later. I'm in the middle of this problem."

"To-ya..." Yukito said, exasperated, but his friend ignored him. Yukito sighed. "Here, just take it off and I'll wash it for you."

To-ya's grip on his pencil spasmed once before he threw it down and sprung to his feet. "It's okay, I'll do it myself," he mumbled, and Yukito caught a glance of his bright red face before To-ya made a beeline for the bathroom.

Well!, Yukito thought, blinking after his friend's trail. It took even less to embarrass To-ya now than it had before Yue's awakening. Yukito couldn't help but laugh quietly at his friend's predicament. Now that Yukito had figured out his own feelings, as well as his friend's, and now that they were officially each other's "Number One", To-ya had a harder time than ever avoiding situations which upset his delicate emotional equilibrium. Well, there was plenty of time for him to get over that.

They had forever, after all.

oOo

It was close to midnight when they finally called it quits and put their books away. Yukito stretched and covered a yawn with the back of his hand. "I'm hungry," he announced once his mouth was free for speech. To-ya, who had stood to get his schoolbag, grinned knowingly down at him.

"There's leftovers in the fridge. Let's have a snack before bed."

"Okay!" Yukito didn't like imposing on the Kinomotos' hospitality, but all three of them had repeated assurances to him so many times that by now, especially when he was alone with To-ya, he no longer worried too much about it. He made sure, however, to return favors as often as possible.

'Leftovers' turned into sandwiches and a slice of cake and by the time they actually got into bed it was past one o' clock in the morning.

To-ya insisted as usual that Yukito sleep in his bed while he himself slept on a futon on the floor. Yukito accepted as usual because he knew from experience trying that there was no way to dissuade his friend. It did always make him feel rather apologetic, though, since when To-ya slept over at his place, he had nothing _but_ the floor to offer.

Yukito shifted to the edge of the bed so he could look down at his friend, watching the moonlight-gilded figure breathe slowly in and out in slumber. He settled himself comfortably there and pulled the covers around him, breathing in the scent of contentment that To-ya's bed always seemed to convey.

_I don't want to ever disappear_. And that was the last thought in his head before he slipped into the world of dreams.

oOo

"You aren't going to disappear."

Shocked, Yukito looked around and found himself standing in the middle of a world of white fog. Strangely, though, it had neither the fresh smell of forest mist nor the clear tang of vapor formed over concrete and tar. And although waving his hands through the stuff made it swirl about his fingers, it didn't feel the slightest bit damp. If anything, it felt like a substance-less illusion.

"Excuse me?" Yukito called, peering around for the source of the voice that had spoken before. He adjusted his glasses, then froze, startled. Had he been wearing his glasses before? Somehow, he didn't think so. The last thing he remembered was being in bed at To-ya's place and -- yes -- he was still wearing his pajamas so that must be right.

What had happened?

He hoped he wasn't having those odd fainting spells again. Though now that Yue was revived again he had no reason to... right? A faint squeeze of worry pressed in on Yukito's chest.

Yukito noticed a swirling in the fog directly in front of him, and suddenly a patch of the dry, scentless fog cleared away and he was faced with a figure dressed in clothes you might see in a fantasy RPG game, elaborately cut, white with blue-violet trim. The figure had skin as pale as his own, and amazingly long hair that was white and shining like waves of radiant silk. Pure white wings swept back from his shoulders over his head and down again to brush the heels of his feet, which floated a few centimeters off the ground. And the face... If it weren't for the lamplike violet eyes and the aloof expresesion, it would almost look just like...

"You aren't going to disappear, Yukito." The violet-eyed being -- who had to be his true self, Yue, Yukito realized with relief and delighted surprise -- made a face that could only be classified as irritated. "Touya's power revived me, giving me enough energy to survive as long as you continue consuming sustenance. Even if that were not the case, Sakura is now strong enough to sustain me. I will not disappear and neither will you."

Though the tone was cold, Yukito could sense a certain impatient kindness in the Moon Guardian's features. Yue's communication habits, Yukito realized, must be quite a bit like To-ya's.

"What?" Yue not-quite-snapped. Yukito realized that he must have shown his reaction to his amusing revelation.

"I just noticed," he answered amiably, "that you remind me of To-ya."

Yue raised one long elegant eyebrow. "That is something new," he muttered.

"Excuse me?"

He shook his head, curtly, dismissing the matter. "Nothing. That was all I wanted to say. I'll be going now."

"Wait!" Yukito reached out toward the image of his actual self. Yue fixed him with a mildly curious glare. "Can't we talk for a while?" Yukito felt intrigued by this being, his true self, the being that had slept inside him and beneath his consciousness for all of Yukito's admittedly short life. What was he like?, Yukito wondered.

Yue seemed to hesitate. Then he folded his arms, looking oddly defiant and resigned at the same time. "What would you like to talk about?"

"Well, first of all, how am I talking to you right now?"

"It's called a shared dream. Sometimes it is possible to communicate this way if both are magicians or if one is a strong one. It was easier with you, I think, even though I don't normally have that kind of power, because we already essentially share a body."

"That's amazing," Yukito said. He had heard of lucid dreaming, but this was magic! He imagined it must be useful for talking while not losing sleep. Or maybe magicians used it like a telephone? "Why haven't you done this before?" he wondered out loud. Yue had been 'awake' for months now. Why was he communicating with Yukito only now? And if not earlier, why at all?

"It wasn't possible before I was awake, of course. And then before you were awakened to your true nature, you could not tap into your, or our, powers. It's a little complicated."

Yukito shook his head. "You said that _I_ couldn't tap into... our powers. Do you mean I had something to do with this too?"

"In a way. You had to want it. Once I placed the suggestion in your head, you had to carry it through. It's more complicated to explain than to do, since much of it is unconscious on your part. You wouldn't understand it all in any case."

"No, I'm sure I wouldn't," Yukito said agreeably. Despite being a creation of magic himself, he understood nothing about this mysterious power. Not at all feeling patronized, he was glad for this fascinating glimpse at his actual self. Yukito cocked his head. "So, why did you want to do it this time?"

"You were worrying about something that had no basis in reality. I felt the need to correct this ridiculous error."

Meaning, Yue had seen Yukito worrying and had wanted to reassure him. Yukito smiled. "Thank you, Yue."

The angel-like figure stiffened. "I only didn't want you to continue believing a falsehood. Clow created you. He would never have allowed you to disappear."

Yukito nodded. From what he had heard of Magician Clow Read, the man was a powerful wizard and a clairvoyant, as well as a man with a lot of love for his creations. Surely, he would have known when he decided to create Yukito if he would disappear or not, and surely he would not have created Yukito only to let him come to grief.

"You loved Magician Clow very much, didn't you?"

It did not seem possible, but Yue's posture stiffened even more. "He was my creator. And my Master," he replied sternly.

Something in his stance, however, made Yukito think more of a defensive child than of an offended servant. The analogy fit too, he reflected, since Magician Clow had essentially given birth to this entity that he had named Yue. "Then he was also your father, in a way," he commented.

The expression on Yue's pale face shifted a bit, but his answer was noncommital: "Perhaps you could say that he was -- in a way."

"I never had a father." His tone sounded sad and wistful even to himself, and for a moment, Yukito was shocked that he had said it. His lack of a family usually didn't bother him. He had many friends, and Sakura and To-ya were as close to him as a real family.

But occasionally, not very often, he became unmercifully aware of the fact that he existed in a sort of void. It did not truly bother him that he existed only as a counterpart for his actual self -- for being so had enabled his current life -- but as his memories of Yue and his true purpose returned, so too came awareness that his only memories before Tomoeda were an illusion. In reality, he had no grandparents; he had no parents; he had no childhood to call his own.

"Master Clow created you. Never presume to forget that," Yue's voice abruptly cut off his inner thoughts. "I will not allow it." His tone was cold and punishing and his eyes fairly glittered as he spoke. Yukito was initially startled by the vehemence this icy creature showed, but long association with To-ya had accustomed him to backwards caring tempers. It took only a moment to figure out what Yue had done.

"You mean to say that he is as much my father as yours."

Yue did not speak, but he did not deny the statement.

"I... thank you." The words were genuine and as heartfelt as any Yukito had ever spoken. Suddenly, he found he had to take off his glasses and wipe his eyes with the sleeve of his pajamas.

"For what?"

"For sharing Magician Clow with me. I realize that's truly a generous gift from you, Yue."

Yue did not blush as To-ya would have, but the expression of forcibly maintained dignity on his face was so much like To-ya's that Yukito completely forgot his brief spot of melancholy and laughed out loud.

"What?" Yue asked, obviously irritated, his tone even more like To-ya's now.

Yukito shook his head, unable to explain adequately. Yue seemed about to ask again, but then he subsided, his lips pressed together in resigned confusion.

"Is that all you want to know?" he asked.

Yukito thought for a moment, not wanting this encounter to end so soon.

"Do you like Sakura?" he asked, the first question that occurred to him.

"She is my Mistress now," the guardian replied promptly, as if that explained everything. But then his lips quirked upward in half of a faint smile. "And my friend." His tone showed that the latter had been highly unexpected.

Yukito smiled too. "Sakura has that effect on people. She has a big heart and a brave and gentle spirit."

Yue nodded in agreement. "I am glad she is my new Mistress."

Which, if Yukito was interpreting it correctly, meant that he liked Sakura a lot.

"I would gladly give my own life to protect her," Yue added quite seriously.

Yukito nodded. "As would I." This seemed to surprise the Moon Guardian. "Why does that surprise you?" he asked, genuinely curious.

"It is not your duty to sacrifice yourself for the Mistress of the Clo- rather, of the Sakura Cards."

"No, but I would. That's part of what being friends is about."

Yue frowned at this. After a long moment, he said, in carefully measured words, "Sakura says that she is my friend. Do you mean to say then that Sakura would sacrifice herself for me as well?"

Yukito hadn't thought consciously of this before, but the answer was obvious enough that he was surprised he had to enumerate it. "Of course."

Yue's frown deepened at this. "But that's not right," he said.

"Why not? It's natural that Sakura would care about you."

"But... I am her Guardian. How could I ever allow her to come to harm for my sake?"

Yukito thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, I certainly can't think of a situation where Sakura _wouldn't_ help a friend in need. So I guess you'll just have to take good care of yourself."

Yue tilted his head the slightest fraction of a degree to one side. "Strange," Yukito heard him murmur, "Touya gave me a similar admonishment -- in exchange for giving his power to me."

"Did he?" He would have to ask To-ya about that exchange. It was almost strange that To-ya had met the being who was his actual form before he himself had.

"Very well, since it has come twice recommended, I will simply have to do as you say," Yue said, in a that-settles-that sort of manner.

"Of course, it's not just for Sakura's sake," Yukito hurried to add.

Exasperatingly, but perhaps not surprisingly, Yue looked baffled. "What do you mean?"

"We want you to take care of yourself for your own sake, too," Yukito clarified.

"I... see." If Yukito wasn't mistaken, Yue looked quite pleased. "Thank you."

"As you said, Sakura considers you a friend. I'd like to be your friend too," Yukito added. This comment seemed to flabbergast the Moon Guardian anew.

"You? With me?"

"I don't see why not. I know I am only a false form of you, and I suppose we can only see each other in dreams, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends." That seemed quite logical to Yukito.

Yue was silent for a long moment. Then something in his face seemed to give. "I would... like to be friends, Yukito." He seemed amused. But if Yukito was reading him correctly, he was honestly touched.

"So..." Yukito hesitated.

"Yes?"

"I was wondering. Will I die?" Could something that had been created from magic die?

"All things that live will die. That is the way of things." Yue sounded oddly as if he were quoting something or someone, and Yukito caught a note of deep sadness in his voice, even though it was largely hidden by what must be habitual calm. Of course. He must be thinking of Magician Clow. Yukito regretted upseting his new friend, but he couldn't think quite how to apologize. Yue didn't seem the kind to want to cry on someone's shoulder, though Yukito would have been more than willing to offer.

"Will I die before you do?" he asked. "Or are we completely connected in that way as well?"

"I had assumed that you would exist as long as I would. But I can't say that I know for sure."

Yukito had been afraid of this. "I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

Yukito looked at the ground. It was crumbly like garden dirt, he noticed for the first time, and easy to dig one's toes into when one was nervous. "I'm essentially taking over your life, aren't I? I mean, you only come out when Sakura needs you, while I'm around all the time. Me, the false form. And if I'm here until we both die..."

"Don't be an idiot. You don't think I could take everything back if I wanted to?" The look of pride was back. Yukito searched his true form's face, looking for any sign of discontentment. He didn't think he saw any, but...

"I know you care more than you show. I wonder if you aren't just letting me stay because you don't want to hurt me? I... If you want to live your life, I can step aside." It was true. He didn't want to leave his current life, but seeing as what he had had so far was all extra in the first place, he could step aside with no regrets.

Well, maybe some. But he was honest in his offer.

"I don't want you to leave, Yukito," Yue said in a voice as close to exasperation as Yukito could imagine Yue getting. "I'm not upset at your existence. In fact, I'm..." And it was Yue's turn to look away. "In a way, I'm glad..." he finished, so quiet that Yukito barely caught the words.

"What do you mean?"

There was a silence before Yue replied.

"Truthfully? I'm tired. Even while 'asleep' I was grieving too long for a master who did not grieve for me. And when I woke again, the world was so different from the one I lived in before. Sakura is a good Mistress, but I simply don't think I fit into her world. At least, not yet. Frankly, I don't really have the energy now to try." He did look up then. "However, it is good to be able to experience this new world through you, Yukito. Perhaps that is why Clow created you for me." He paused. "I'm sorry. I did not mean to imply that your existence is--"

"Only for your sake?" Yukito finished. "Don't worry about that. I consider my existence that way myself, so it doesn't offend me." He took a deep, cleansing breath. "In a way, we all exist for someone, don't we? Parents have a child because they want one, not because they are thinking of what the as yet non-existent child wants, right? So if I exist because of you, and because Magician Clow decided to create me as a false form for you, that's fine with me. It makes me value my existence all the more, because I could very well not exist at all."

"That is... an interesting way to look at it."

"But my offer still stands. I value my life, but if you ever want to participate more fully, just let me know."

A rueful yet amused look touched Yue's face, as if he were losing some competition to a small child. "Very well," he replied. "I will let you know if that happens."

"And Yue..."

"Yes?"

"I'm sure Magician Clow grieved for you, too. But he knew that you would have another life to live after he died, so he wanted you to live it without the shadow of regrets. It would only have made you feel worse if he let you know how sad he felt to leave you. I know I didn't live with him for years like you did, but from what I've heard, he went to a lot of trouble to make sure that after he died you and the other Guardian and Sakura would be happy. It sounds to me like he loved you all very much."

Yue stared for a moment, his violet eyes bright and steady. "Love..." he said, almost to himself. "Yes, that's..." He trailed off with a thoughtful look. "Thank you," he said finally, "It... helps to have someone say so." His lips twitched. "Although I meant for this dream to comfort _you_," he said.

"Well," Yukito shrugged, "since I am essentially you, you can think of it as giving yourself advice."

Yue smiled, his sharp alabaster features softening with the look. "I must say I surprise myself, then," Yue said with a certain amount of what looked, interestingly enough, like pride. "So, am I finished talking with myself now?"

"Well..."

Yue raised an elegant eyebrow, waiting.

"What do you think of To-ya?" Yukito blurted. Although this was the first time Yukito had 'met' his actual self, Yue's opinion was very important to him -- and not only because he could see everything and experience everything that Yukito did.

"You love him."

Yukito blushed, just a bit flustered at hearing that out loud. Sakura had expressed the same thing before, true, but she had done so in her nine-year-old terms, not so... plainly as Yue had. It was startling, though it was rather exhilarating in a way. "Yes, but what do _you _think?"

Yue cocked his head, his eyes gentle. "I think you have good judgement." And it seemed from his tone that that was all he was going to say about the matter. It was enough. Yukito breathed a soft sigh of happy relief.

"But I suppose," Yukito reflected, "that Magician Clow foresaw all this when he created me, right?"

Yue looked slightly surprised by this.

"Actually, no. In fact, Clow had thought that you would..." He paused, seeming unsure whether or not he should continue.

"Thought I would what?"

Yue shrugged. "He had thought that you would marry Sakura, the new Mistress."

Yukito mulled this over for a moment, the memory coming clearly to him of the star-shrouded moment when Sakura had professed her feelings to him at the school festival. The only thing he could think to say was what he had been thinking at the time: "Maybe if circumstances were different, that would have been nice."

Yue agreed with an incline of his head. "But circumstances are different, aren't they?"

"Yes."

"I think the way everything turned out is even better than Clow foresaw. He -- or rather, Eriol -- as much as said so. And I think everyone is happier for it."

Yukito smiled brightly, thinking of To-ya, and Sakura, and Sakura's Number One. "Yes, I think so too."

"I enjoy being Sakura's Guardian." Yue said, somehow making it sound not like the non-sequiter it was. Perhaps he had been thinking along the same lines? Yukito wondered suddenly if Yue knew who Sakura's Number One was. The mysterious Moon Guardian gave the impression that he knew many things and held many secrets. Yukito wondered if he would share them with his false form, but he found that he didn't mind if Yue chose not to. "She is different from Clow in many ways, but she is a good Mistress."

"To-ya said she is stronger than Magician Clow was. Is that true?"

"Yes. With more experience, who knows what she will become capable of?"

"I suppose we will find out together."

"Yes." The magical Guardian's tone was filled with satisfaction.

At this point Yukito, to his own surprise, had to stifle a yawn. Did one get sleepy in a dream? Maybe in a special dream like this one.

Yue smiled indulgently. "I think you should go back to sleep now."

"Aren't I sleeping now?"

"Not completely. Most of your mind is active right now, though you are indeed getting more rest than if you were awake."

"Can we talk like this again?" he asked, rubbing his eyes in an effort to concentrate through the sudden exhaustion.

Yue shrugged elegantly. "If you wish."

"That would be nice," Yukito said. "I think you and I are quite a bit alike."

Yue's eyes widened for just a moment then settled back into his calm, cool gaze, though perhaps slightly crinkled at the corners. "You certainly have chosen the right family, Yukito."

Yukito did not understand the reason for this statement, but the thought of Sakura and To-ya being his family warmed him inside. The fact that Yue obviously approved also made him happy.

The contented look on Yue's face abruptly disappeared, to be replaced by a slight frown. "What's wrong?" Yukito ventured to ask.

Yue waved his hand dismissively, and at the same time, the dreamscape in which they were standing began wavering. "It is of no concern to you," Yue replied, even as Yukito had to struggle to see his face. "I only had the thought that if Clow could be said to be my father then Cerberus... would be my brother."

"Cerberus?" Yukito questioned, squinting to catch Yue's expression in the rapidly disintegrating world. From what he could make out, Yue seemed unsure how he felt about this newly discovered relation.

"You'll remember in time," Yue said in a gentle voice. "Go back now, and sleep."

oOo

When Yukito woke up his alarm had not yet rung. In spite of this, he felt refreshed. Last night's dream (or vision?) had been revealing and quite pleasant. He hoped Yue would like to talk again often.

He peered over the side of the bed to find that To-ya had already gotten up. For a full week after To-ya had transferred all his magical powers to Yue, he had been sleepy and drained, but now he was back to his energetic self. Yukito was glad.

The door opened and the aforementioned To-ya walked in, dressed and ready for breakfast, apparently. "You're awake," he commented.

Yukito stretched. "Yes. You're up early yourself."

To-ya shrugged. "Sakura stayed up all night," he said. That was certainly answer enough. Yukito wondered if To-ya would ever be straightforward about how much he loved his sister. Probably not. But that was one of To-ya's charms as well.

Yukito got out of bed briskly. "We'd better make her a nice big breakfast then."

To-ya smiled one of those rare, completely open smiles and tousled Yukito's hair. "You get ready. I'll be downstairs."

By the time Yukito joined To-ya downstairs, his friend was well into preparing a large breakfast for four of eggs, toast with jam, sausages, and various other tidbits. Yukito tied on an apron and took his place at To-ya's side. To-ya automatically accomodated him, and it wasn't until reaching for the drawer for a pair of cooking chopsticks and having them handed to him without a word that Yukito realized the significance of it all.

Here he was in the Kinomotos' kitchen, which he knew as well as his own, feeling perfectly at home, fitting seamlessly into To-ya's movements with neither of them even thinking about it. Now it was a pair of chopsticks, but if he had wanted the materials and tools for making a seaweed and tomato chicken salad with corn soup on the side and a three-tiered chocolate cake for dessert, he felt certain he could find everything with the same lack of effort. He was equally certain that To-ya would know without any words needed what Yukito intended and would be able to blend smoothly into the task.

Surely, Yukito thought, this was love.

_ "I think everyone is happier for it."_

_ "Yes, I think so too."_

"Yuki?" Yukito looked up into To-ya's eyes, startlingly close. He looked confused and a little worried. "You've been staring off into space for almost a minute."

Yukito set down his chopsticks and beamed. "I was just thinking about how lucky I am, and how much I love being here, how much I love being with you."

To-ya's eyes widened, then softened in a look that set off his reddening face nicely. "Yuki..." To-ya lifted one hand to caress Yukito's face as he sometimes did when feeling particularly tender, and Yukito leaned into it as he always had, even before he'd realized what it meant. Then, unlike usual, To-ya moved his head just a bit closer, as if about to whisper something secret just between the two of them. Yukito waited, staring into To-ya's slowly approaching eyes, knowing that something significant was about to happen and curious as to what it was.

A sound near the doorway made them both look up to see To-ya's father staring at them with a startled look that faded into a somewhat bemused one. He hesitated and seemed about to leave, before Yukito remembered his manners. This was, after all, his father in a way, right? His father-in-law, if you looked at it in another way.

"Good morning, Mr. Kinomoto. We were just preparing breakfast. Would you like to come in?" At that, To-ya's father seemed to relax a great deal.

"Good morning boys," he said, entering the kitchen.

To-ya, for some reason, neither answered his father nor continued whatever it was he had started to do. Yukito was disappointed -- a little. But mostly, he was just happy to be with his "family", and when Mr. Kinomoto offered to join them in making breakfast, Yukito eagerly accepted, drinking in the older man's warm paternal smile and reveling in the returned softness of To-ya's eyes.

Somewhere upstairs, a young girl smiled as she began the last steps towards completing what would signify her heart to her "favorite person". Somewhere at Tomoeda Grade School, another young girl searched quickly through her schoolbag for her cell phone in order to call her most treasured person and ensure that person's future happiness. Somewhere across town, a young boy made ready to leave the one he held most dear, not knowing that soon would come one of the happiest moments in his life.

And somewhere else entirely, in a place that wasn't exactly a place at all in the conventional sense, pure white wings shook as the Judgement Maker, the Moon Guardian, protector of the Sakura Cards and their new Mistress -- laughed.

End.


End file.
